Hundreds of homes and businesses were flooded, some for the third time this year, as heavy rain and thunderstorms continued to sweep across parts of the UK. Some residents in south Wales were forced to flee from homes that had already been inundated twice in 2020 and now face having to once again dry out and rebuild with the added complication of lockdown. Rhondda Cynon Taf council said almost 200 properties were flooded and politicians called for an inquiry into why the area keeps being hit so badly. There was also flooding or alerts in place across a swathe of the Midlands, and the Met Office put out a yellow warning for much of southern Britain for Thursday, saying that buildings could be damaged by flood water, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds. Fire service crews spent five hours pumping water out of homes in Pentre, south Wales, while local builders’ merchants handed out sandbags. The Rhondda MP, Chris Bryant, urged the UK government to help his constituents. He told the House of Commons: “We’re a resilient community in the Rhondda but I honestly don’t think we can take any more without significant help from outside. “I spoke to one woman last night who was in tears because she’d only just managed to get builders to sort her home out, she was about to move back in and now it’s ruined all over again. “The council is completely strapped for cash. We know we need £60m to mend the culverts, to make sure this doesn’t happen all over again.” Plaid Cymru politician Leanne Wood, who represents Rhondda in the Senedd, said residents were “angry and frustrated” and called for an urgent inquiry into why homes flooded so quickly in the village following heavy rainfall just after 6pm on Wednesday. The area had experienced a period of dry and record-breaking sunshine over the previous weeks, but she said locals had told her that drains were still clogged up with silt from the the winter’s floods. She said: “People are angry and frustrated that this has happened twice already this year. I share that anger and frustration – it is not acceptable. “What is needed is urgent assistance from the various authorities to prevent further flooding. Sandbags need to be delivered to every home that is at risk of further flooding throughout this spell of heavy rain. It should not be down to builders’ yards to provide the sand needed to make a flood defence. The drains also need cleaning urgently as this has been identified as a cause of flooding in many areas.” The leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf council, Andrew Morgan, said: “The flash flooding caused by yesterday evening’s severe thunderstorms has unfortunately impacted upon communities which have already experienced the devastation of flooding earlier this year. “As a council we will seek to respond proactively to this situation, to support these communities and residents.” In Ilkeston, Derbyshire, resident Ryan Shelton, a 34-year-old sales manager, said 20 minutes of rain from 5.30pm on Wednesday left over a metre of floodwater. Floodgates protected the front of his home, but water entered the back via sewage pipes. He said residents only had six sandbags to protect 20 houses, and they worked to unblock drains on the street themselves. Shelton said: “Unfortunately it left devastation in its wake in terms of the debris on the road. Multiple cars had been flooded out.” The Met Office said that 40 mm (1.57 in) of rain fell at Leominster, Herefordshire, within a nine-hour spell. The average rainfall for the whole of June in the county is 57 mm. Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said more torrential downpours could trigger flash flooding on Thursday. She said: “These are the heavier showers. Not everywhere within the warning will see these heavier showers. These are isolated ones that have the potential to cause issues such as flash flooding.”